Ciudadela was the capital of Minorca until the early 18^th century. The town had been settled – or conquered �� as early as 1600 BC by the Phoenicians, then Greeks and Romans, then Moors, and the Catalans. In 1558, in a strange, almost accidental encounter, Turkish corsairs, led by Barbarrossa, laid siege to the town and destroyed its buildings, taking many of the inhabitants to Istanbul as slaves.

This bronze lamb, on the pedestrian shopping street, symbolizes the Lamb of God. It serves as a reminder of the celebration of the Fiesta de San Juan. This festival has been celebrated since the fourteenth century with music, jousting competitions, and pilgrimages. The "man of the lamb", clad in animal skins and carrying a lamb in honor of St. John, launches the festivities.

The Museu Diocesa is housed in a former cloister. Its contents are disparate, from the archaeological to the religious to the fine arts. Minorca has evidence of human life no earlier than about 2000 BC, but the island has succeeded in preserving unusual remnants of culture and endemic animal life.

Unlike many museums in the Balearic Islands, there are extensive and informative English-language descriptions available to elucidate the many objects on display in nearly a dozen rooms.

The first Minorcans in what is called the "pretalayotic" period lived on riverbanks and in caves. From 1000 - 100 BC, settlers in the talayotic period formed urban groups of town dwellers in houses with a circular floor, including community defense structures like walls. Later, Romans conquered the Balearic islands in 123 BC and introduced elements of their own culture, including the use of Latin.

The museum also covers the ancient Christian and Jewish communities in the islands, and houses an art exhibit.

The Placa d'es Born is the main square in Ciudadela. An obelisk in the center of the square commemorates the futile defense against the Turks in 1558.  Several imposing buildings line the square, including the town hall and some mansions, some of which are still owner-occupied.

These architectural details are from a single door on the Palau Torresaura. At the top of the door is this wood-carved face, with its eyes draped with cloth. At the bottom of the door, the handle sports the head of a laughing human and a dragon's tail.

We attended Sunday Mass in the Basilica Cathedral of Minorca, built in the 14^th century. The alter canopy shown at right is 15 meters (about 50 feet) high.